Wolf Girls
by Meemz94
Summary: Kat's sister is getting married, and lucky her, she gets to be the maid of honor. Unfortunately, that means moving to La Push for a few months while she helps plan her sister's wedding. But something wierd is going on between all of Val's friends.SethXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so I've finally gotten this to the point of where I can post it. I know I promised it a lot sooner and that my other two stories haven't been updated in like a year, and I'm sorry about that, but it's because I've been working on this. You should be able to rely on me to get it finished.**

**Oh and one more thing. This story switches between " 'I love him' I say " and " 'I love him' I said ". I can't help it and I tried to fix it, but finally I gave up. Sorry if it confuses you.**

_Hey Little Sister!_

Val always greets me the same way. Even if she's mad at me. It's how she opens up all of our conversations and starts all of her emails and letters. I hate the nickname, but I've learned to endure it over the past 18 years.

I continued reading:

_How are you? Embry and I are doing great over here in La Push. We can't wait to see you at our graduation! Which reminds me… I really need you to call me. I've been trying to reach you for two days and all calls go to voicemail. I've got HUGE NEWS. News so big I can't explain over email._

_Love you!_

_Val_

I settled back in my desk chair, touching my fingertips together. There was "huge news". The last time there was "huge news" Val had decided to shack up with Dad in Forks, Washington for the rest of her life.

I began to regret leaving my phone home for the weekend. Mom decided last minute that the two of us needed some quality time at our beach house 12 hours away in Florida. She wouldn't let me bring my phone. "It's too much of a distraction, Kat," she'd said. She didn't bring hers either, which was a big feat for her. She even managed to leave her pagers and planners. It was the reason I didn't complain about leaving my cell phone at home. As soon as we got home, I deleted the 47 text messages I'd received and 10 voicemails left by my friends. The second thing I did was jump on the computer and check my email and Facebook.

I snatched my phone off the desk, where I'd tossed it when I plopped down in front of my computer. I dialed Val's number by memory, feeling a little sick.

"Little Sister!" Val answered, sounding almost relieved. I rolled my eyes at the old nickname, despite my growing panic. It would be just like Val to go and do something stupid like get pregnant or worse… married.

"Hey Val," I tried to disguise the worry in my voice and knew I failed terribly.

"You ok?" She asked, obviously picking up on my tone. I forced cheeriness into my voice.

"I'm fine. Sorry about not picking up when you called. Mom took me to the beach house last minute and decided we shouldn't bring any electronics."

"Mom took you to the beach and didn't bring any electronics?" Val sounded as surprised as I felt when I saw my mom's purse almost completely empty without its normal spillage of wires and headsets.

"Nope."

"Wow. She never did that with me." I could hear just the slightest hint of jealousy. There were a lot of things Mom had started to do with me that she never did with Val. I believe it was because she partially blamed herself for her first born leaving. She thought maybe Val left because our Mother was so absorbed by work. Mom worked hard in her office, hoping to provide us with a better life than what we'd had with Dad. She wanted us to have a bigger house with a bigger backyard to play in, nicer clothes, cooler toys, and the works. But those things stopped being so important the minute Mom stopped eating breakfast and dinner and shopping with us. When Val left, I think Mom picked up on that. She at least eats dinner and shops with me now.

"Yea," I muttered, not knowing what else to say, so I changed the subject to more important matters. "What's the 'huge news'?" I asked, quoting her email.

"Well," she drew out the word and paused dramatically like I knew she would. "Embry and I are engaged!"

I sucked in a deep breath, not in shock so much as in to calm myself. I had expected as much. "Oh," I said quietly.

"And I want you to be my Maid of Honor!" She exclaimed even louder. This was what actually surprised me.

"Oh," I said again, louder this time.

Val launched into a long, complicated story of the night of her engagement. It started with him picking her up at Dad's a nice dinner at some Italian place in Port Angeles and then back home for a moonlit walk on the beach, where he proposed.

"It sounds like a wonderful evening," I said gently. Even if Val was only 22, just graduated from college, and completely irrational when it came to Embry, the night sounded perfect for her. Simple, yet just dolled up enough to be special.

"It was, Kat. It was perfect." She sighed in contentment. At least she was happy. "So, I was thinking, you being my Maid of Honor, you should come spend the summer here." She paused again, waiting for my reaction.

I caught the corner my lip between my teeth and began to chew on it, as I often did when I was thinking seriously about something or extremely nervous. Right now I chewed for both reasons.

I wanted to say no so badly. I hate La Push. It's typically cold. And it's wet. And _grey_. It's so lifeless there. No color, ever. To top it off, Forks harbors bad memories for me. Unlike Val, who lived with our parents before their marital issues, all I could remember was fighting. It started when I was around six and continued until their divorce when I was ten. When I walk through that house, only bad memories arise. I used to sit up late at night on my bottom bunk as Val slept peacefully, listening to their raised voices. Insults were thrown about the house carelessly between the two. More often than not, their late night fights ended with slammed doors and one of them leaving for the night. The next day, whichever parent had stayed, was typically in a bad mood, slamming things around and snapping at Val and me for no reason.

"Val-" I said carefully. She picked up on my tone.

"Kat _please_. I need you here. And as Maid of Honor, it's your duty to be here with me as I plan this thing. You know you're good at stuff like this. _Please, please, please, please!_"

I groaned at all of her begging. I hadn't even said yes to become her Maid of Honor yet. But I knew I would. As kids we'd always promised to be the other's Maid or Matron of Honor. And just like I knew I would be Maid of Honor, I knew I would go to Forks.

"One condition Val. Just one and then I will fully agree to become your Maid of Honor."

"Anything. Anything at all, you can have it." She says, agreeing quickly to my terms before I've even spoken them.

"My only condition is Dad has to hold his tongue. He has to hold his tongue and not fight with me. That's it." I say, feeling slightly defeated, and even a little bit guilty for holding this over Val's head.

"I will do my best," she promises, and I know that's all I can hope for.

Val says goodbye and I pass the phone off to our Mother. I return to my room. I stare at the walls I just recently painted "candy violet". We'd pulled up my ugly, graying carpet to find beautiful hardwood floors. My mother bought me a new bedspread to match my walls. There's a cozy window seat that overlooks my backyard. Behind my backyard was a manmade lake and beyond that, the skyline full of trees. It was the perfect place to sit and watch the sunset. I spent a lot of time there, reading and writing in my journal. I would miss this place.

Mom ordered Chinese food that night for dinner. My favorite. It broke our diet, the one we started last year after Val left. Mom wanted to lose ten pounds, I wanted to lose thirty. It had worked. We ate only organic and only what was on the food pyramid. We exercise together every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night. We skipped exercise this Monday night.

"So," Mom said around a mouthful of chicken Lo Mein, "Val's getting married."

I nodded and swallowed my bite of white rice. "Yep," I said, popping my p. "And she wants me to ship out for awhile up there. I, uh, guess it's a good thing I decided to go online for my first year of college, right?"

Mom nodded, scooping up another large bite of Lo Mein. She didn't look happy about me leaving. Heck, I wasn't happy about it either.

We continued talking about Val and her soon-to-be wedding plans. We both knew how her wedding would look, simple, yet elegant. Nothing too flashy, but not trashy either.

Around 11, with our stomachs full and about to burst, I reached into the paper bag our food had come in, feeling around for the two packages. I pulled them out and tossed one at my mom, who caught it smoothly. I popped my bag and pulled out the cookie, cracking it in half and pulling out my fortune.

_Excitement and intrigue follow you closely wherever you go!_

I smiled at the irony. There was no such thing as excitement and intrigue in La Push. Only bitter, cold, and wet days.

I gnawed my lower lip nervously as my principal stood on the cheap, makeshift stage in front of an equally cheap podium and called out the names of all my peers. A ball of excitement and anxiety was growing tighter, yet somehow larger in my stomach. I was going to throw up. I turned in my seat, searching the football bleachers for my family, but was unable to locate them in the large crowd. Mom had just enough time before the ceremony to search me out and let me know that Val, Embry and Dad were here. I swallowed as the nerves about seeing my Dad mixed with the nerves of walking up to get my diploma in front of at least a thousand (OK, not really, but seriously a lot) people and made the bile rise up in my throat.

"Katlyn Tucker," Mr. Byrd called and I rose from my seat. I made myself slow my steps, knowing I was walking too fast. I climbed the stairs carefully and accepted my diploma with shaking hands. I glanced up at the crowd, knowing Mom's camera was going crazy right now.

I exhaled in relief as I sat back down into the dented metal chairs that have been used for graduation over the past thirty years. My chest slowly stopped pounding and I could feel my heated cheeks returning to a normal color. Twelve years of my life wasted for thirty seconds on stage.

"Kat!" I heard my name screamed before I saw Val. I turned in the general direction of her voice and spotted her tucked underneath a very huge, very attractive Native American man's arm.

"Val!" I cried, rushing up to my sister excitedly before pausing and staring up at the Embry awkwardly. Val stepped out from beside him and enveloped me in a tight hug, making it nearly impossible to hug her back.

"Can't… breathe… Val," I squeak out and she releases me, giggling.

"Sorry Little Sister, it's just so good to see you again."

"You too Val," I say feeling my smile grow larger at simply the sight of the girl who means more to me than the whole world. The girl I would do anything for. Including this wedding.

I glance over at the tall man standing beside her. He's watching Val protectively, his hand just barely raised towards her, as if ready to bring her safely back to his arms at a moment's notice. His eyes scan the airport every few seconds. Embry is a very fidgety man. He's obviously out of place her, uncomfortable.

Val reaches behind her, grabbing Embry's hand and pulling him forward. He relaxes the second they touch again, as if the breath's been returned to his lungs.

"Kat, this is Embry. Babe, meet Kat. You'll be seeing quite a bit of each other in the coming months." She's looking up at him, beaming and then back at me. She expects us to be the best of friends, yet for some reason, I have the feeling this won't be happening.

Val's absolutely glowing. It's contagious and I found myself in the happiest state I've ever been in. My parents aren't fighting, although it's mere toleration that is left of their relationship. Embry and Val are so wrapped up in each other, it seems it would be unnatural for them not to be. They are the perfect couple. Every one of her actions is somehow complimented by one of his and vice versa. A perfect team. The people around me, my friends since mostly middle school, are calling out congratulations all across the field, yelling about their perfect summer plans. A few of my own close friends run up, asking me to join the group of at least a hundred of them for dinner. Of course, I agree.

I walk off the field beaming just as brightly as my sister, locked arm in arm with my mother and sister. I can deal with the issues of my father later.

So far today is perfect.

**That's it so far. Hope you liked my first chapter. Reviews would be nice.**

**-M**


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner goes so smoothly, it's almost too good to be true. Dad and Mom take separate cars with their respective children. We arrive at McCall's the only restaurant that's open enough to seat all the graduates. They serve the best southern food in North Carolina.

There's not one disagreement or anything, even though Dad hates crowds and just wants to eat and leave and Mom loves them and sticks around hours after she's finished eating to talk. But Dad is patient and Mom moves quickly and instead of hours, we leave an hour after we finish.

I'm so pleased driving home, I don't notice my mother's discontent until she reaches forward and shuts off the radio playing Top 40 hits. I glance away from the road for a second to see her face all screwed up in disappointment.

"What's wrong Mom?" I ask, making up for the last ten minutes of silence that I didn't catch onto. She's obviously been upset for a long time.

"Did you see it?" She asks in disgust, crossing her arms like a child.

"See what?"

"_Them_. Their whole relationship is completely unhealthy. He's too controlling. He wouldn't let her out of his sight. He's got this whole possessive look. I don't like it. And have you _seen_ the weight she's gained. At least fifteen pounds."

I saw the looks, but there were no warning bells going off in my head. The abusive relationships I'd seen, that I'd helped girls out of, were nothing like this. Yea, he had a possessive quality, but there was no look of anger as she'd walked off, just loneliness. He didn't know anyone around and it seemed like he was out of his element. That was all.

Then we got to the source of her problems. I didn't notice it until Mom mentioned it just now. Val was bigger; in her hips, in her thighs and in her breasts. No tummy bulge, no muffin top, just tighter fitting clothes. And that's something my mom can't stand. Val's not a stick, like Mom's worked so hard to become.

I sigh, and inwardly shake my head. Image is everything to her. It's why she's such a good publicist.

"I saw, Mom. But can we please not bring it up to Val? Today's been a good day. You and Dad even got along," I say desperately.

Mom sighs and nods. "Yea, Val, I'll keep my mouth shut. For now. But I want you calling me every day while you're in Forks. If one thing seems amiss, you tell me. I'll be out there faster than you can say Val's in trouble, OK?"

I nod my consent, agreeing to my mother's own set of conditions.

Forty-Eight hours later, I was on a plane destined for doom. Ok, that was a little melodramatic, but really? I was giving up my whole summer! The summer before I went to college, where I was supposed to live it up on the beach, hang out with my friends and blow all my savings shopping with Ali and Marcus. Marcus would complain the whole time until we bought him Dippin' Dots and Pretzels. I'd get sunburn, like I do every year, have total boy drama that Ali would get me somehow tangled up in, and when August rolled around, I'd start my online classes.

Speaking of Ali, she was pissed when I told her yesterday.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me." She'd said. "Our first beach trip was supposed to be in a week. She couldn't wait that long?"

"I tried." I said. "But something about her fiancée and his family and God, I don't know Ali. She's getting married and she's freaking out, ok? She needs me."

She'd plopped down on her bed, growling into the covers in frustrations. "Ok. Fine. I'm still pissed you won't be here. I'm not happy."

I had to resist rolling my eyes. She could be such a drama queen sometimes. And if Ali's not happy, nobody's happy.

"I'm not too thrilled about it either Al."

I ate dinner with her last night, but had to leave after. She cried.

And now I was starting to cry. I turned my head away from Val so she wouldn't see. It would make her feel bad and she'd practically try to stop the plane if she knew I was crying.

I could see the ground below, watch my home growing smaller and smaller. I had an overwhelming sense of dread weigh down in my chest as it disappeared. I quickly dried my tears, blinking rapidly and taking deep breaths. When I was sure my face was dry and no longer red, I turned back to Val, only to find her leaning against Embry, already asleep.

I sighed and settled back into my seat, pulling my legs up underneath me and laying at angle onto Val's arm. I was small enough that I could curl and wrap my jacket around most of my body in the seat.

_Six Hours Later_

It was chilly outside, barely seventy degrees.

_Its MAY for Christ's sake! _I thought to myself angrily.

Ok, I was cranky. I glared at nothing while I waited for whomever to bring around the car that was picking the three of us up.

"Will you quit looking so angry?" Val asked, glancing back at me. I just stared at her blankly.

Yea, definitely a cranky flyer.

The plane ride had lasted entirely too long for my taste, and the second one too bumpy. But really, I'm just tired and antsy from sitting too long and being around Val and Embry's complete gag worthy lovey-doveyness.

I rolled my eyes when she'd turned back around.

_Stop it! _I ordered myself. _You are here to make this time pleasant for Val. That includes your attitude. Now knock it off._

I forced a smile and walked forward to stand next to Val. "Sorry," I said quietly. "I'm just a little tired." I paused. "Who's picking us up?"

She smiled back at me and nodded towards an oncoming truck. "Jacob. He's a good friend of Embry's."

The black F-150 rolled to a stop and out jumped a large Native American man that could have been Embry's brother. His large muscles were prominent underneath his black t-shirt. He could probably snap me in half with a twitch of his pinky.

He looked out of place in the large crowd, uncomfortable as Embry had been in North Carolina. The two of them easily handled our luggage, throwing it in the truck bed and lowering the lid. Embry and Val opted to sit in the back together and Dad got in the front. I was left to choose the front middle seat, to awkwardly shift around my father while he tried to make small talk, or the more spacious back seat next to the love birds. I chose the back.

I tried to ignore their obvious PDA even as they tried, for me, to tone it down. This was their territory now, and even though our agreement still stood, it was hard to expect them to stick to it when they were so used to being…. themselves.

We reached my old house soon enough, faster than normal, by a whole 30 minutes. Jacob was a fast driver.

It was almost exactly the same as it had been eight years ago. Two tire swings still hung from the two trees in our front yard. I had broken my elbow on those swings. The grass was still just a little too long because Dad was too busy to mow it. The house was small and yellow, a two story house with a dark blue door and dark blue shutters. It was the house of my childhood, of my hell.

I swallowed the memories and took one of my bags from Embry. I walked in, knowing the place well. My old room had been the first on the left. It still was. The room was exactly as I had left it, the bare bed in the right corner, devoid of sheets and pillows, the walls a very pale purple with small holes where I'd had a corkboard, dry erase board and shelves full of books that wrapped around two of my walls. It was a sad little room. I tossed the duffel bag on the bed and returned to get the rest, only to see Embry and Jacob coming up the stairs with them.

They set the bags on the floor next to my bed, returning two more times. I immediately began unpacking.

I started with my first bag, the sheets, pillows and blankets. I was lucky my two rooms were almost the same color and that my stuff from my room at home matched the stuff to my old room.

I was just tugging the corners of my comforter into place when there was a light knock on the door, the same knock Val and I'd had as kids.

"Come in," I called softly and Val slipped in, shutting the door gently behind her.

"Hey lil' Sis, I thought I'd come help you unpack. Embry just left and Dad's cooking dinner." She said, walking over to my freshly made bed and plopping down.

"Sure," I replied, sliding a suitcase over to her. She smiled and reached inside, pulling out a pair of jeans. She knew how I organized everything and walked over to my closet, folding it over a hanger and setting it on the bottom row of my closet.

We worked in relative silence, only speaking briefly when she didn't quite know where something went.

It wasn't until Dad called us to dinner and there was only one suitcase left that she spoke. "Listen, after dinner I think we should go over to a friend's house. Her name is Emily. We spend a lot of time together, with a bunch of other girls and the rest of Embry's friend. So, I figured you should go ahead and get used to them you know? There's probably some sports game on or something. Anyway, there's going to be food and games and a lot of fun." She sounded like a commercial, or a birthday invitation. I could see no way out of it, even if I said I was tired, she'd probably find some way to convince me, just as she had about the wedding.

I smiled. "Sure, why not?" I was so going to regret this later.

Yes, I was definitely regretting it. I had been to plenty of parties back home before, ones of the crazy, drinking kinds, and ones of the chill, laid back kind. This was definitely one of the latter, although this didn't have the "party" feel. More like a family reunion feel. It was loud and it was hot.

I'd met several people, too many to really remember, although I was constantly going through the mental list as people tried to speak to me.

Emily and Sam were the hosts tonight. They were in their mid-twenties. Emily was hugely pregnant with their first child, a boy she said. They were naming him Sam. She had huge scars across her face, a bear attack Val had said. Then there was Jacob and Nessie. Jacob was the one who gave us the ride to Dad's and Nessie was his girlfriend. She was incredibly beautiful; it put every girl in the room to shame. She had pale white skin and long, curly brown hair that hung nearly to her back. When she spoke, everyone listened.

There was a boy named Quil with a younger girl, about nine or ten years old. And another, bitter looking girl name Leah. Paul and a girl Rachel. Names and faces were jumbled after those few, even as I tried to sort them out.

I could feel my face flushing in the heat as more and more people piled in the room. It was so hot. I grabbed Val's arm. "Sorry," I mumbled as she jumped. "I need to step out. I need some fresh air." I didn't wait for an answer, just quickly rushed out, although I'm sure I saw her nod her head.

There were people sitting on the porch, mostly couples looking for privacy, sitting in the rocking chairs and whispering or kissing. I made a face of disgust and rushed down the steps and into the streets.

Finally, able to breathe, I slowed my walk to one of leisure. The house was tucked into the forest as were the others, almost all obstructed from view. I walked the length of the road, where it stopped and turned into more forest. Just as I was reaching the end of the road, two figures popped out and from the looks of it, they were two Native Americans on their way to the party up ahead. They were goofing off, pushing each other and laughing loudly. I heard one say, "Look, its Valerie."

There was a long pause and one of them stopped and stared at me a long time while the other stood next to him, waving his hands in front of his face and calling his name. Finally, the guy spoke. "No man, I don't think that's Val."

They began walking towards me, the one who had identified me as not Val leading the other one.

I stood there awkwardly, not quite knowing what to do. Should I just stand here and wait, like I was already doing? Should I go meet them?

I didn't have time to answer, they were in front of me faster than I thought they'd be. "Uhm, hi," said they second one, while the other simply gawked, his mouth hanging slightly open. The second one elbowed him. He shook his head and smiled hugely at me. "Hey," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

I consciously folded my hands over my chest, remembering from an online article that it gives the unwanted, closed feel. "Hello," I said, still being polite.

There was an awkward silence.

"Do we know you?" The first one asked. I shook my head.

"No, I'm here with my sister Val." I answered, knowing this might help the situation, since they obviously knew my sister.

"Oh, that's why you look familiar," said the second. "You two look exactly alike. I'm Embry and this is Seth." I tucked their names and faces into the list of people I'd met tonight. The first one, Seth, smiled at me.

"Kat," I said. "I'm here to help my sister plan her wedding."

"Nice to meet you Kat," Embry said, shaking my hand, it was unusually warm, like he had a fever. "I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of you around here."

I nodded. Seth reached out to shake my hand and I when I grabbed, my world exploded completely. His hands, like Embry's were warm, yet when we touched, there was fire. It spread through my fingers and up my arms, all through my body. I glanced up at his face and was immediately lost in his beautiful dark eyes. I could feel my cheeks heating in embarrassment as our hands held just a moment too long.

"Nice to meet y'all," I said after swallowing quickly and lowering my gaze from Seth's.

"Yep, there's that North Carolina accent Val came with," Embry said, chuckling lightly. "We're headed to Emily's, care to join us?"

I shook my head. "Not particularly," I said, throwing a glance at the house behind me, remembering the crowded rooms, the hot atmosphere, all the couples, happily staring at one another. House parties weren't particularly my thing back home either. I preferred the beach-y bonfire types.

I realized how bad that must have sounded, and quickly covered my unenthusiastic, semi-sarcastic answer. "I mean, it's not you. I just, I'm not very fond of the atmosphere. Uhm…" I paused, trying to come up with a way to word it. "I wasn't having much fun back there, I needed some air." I gave them a weak smile, feeling defeated. "I'll go back with you."

We started walking, the boys losing their playful manner. It was awkward.

"So uhm, Kat," Embry said, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't say anything else, just looked over at Seth. I watched the two as they seemed to have a private conversation without speaking.

I twisted my fingers awkwardly as they exchanged looks back and forth, looking back at me, then towards each other. After about thirty seconds, Seth finally turned to me.

"Are you here for long?" He asked nonchalantly, but there was something under that, it sounded like hope hitched deep down in his meaning.

I frowned. "Unfortunately. I'll be here for a few months."

"And that's unfortunate because….?" He pried, stepping closer to me.

I shrugged. "Let's not talk about it." I said shortly, crossing my arms back over my chest. He held up his hands in a way that I'm sure was meant to calm me down.

"No problem. What do you want to talk about?" He asked. He was getting closer to me and it was getting just a little bit uncomfortable.

I shrugged again. Definitely uncomfortable. And Embry was now several paces ahead of us. "Uhm, it doesn't really matter," I mumbled, just ready to get back to my sister. I glanced up at him and forced myself not to gasp. He was so gorgeous. He wore his hair shaggier than Embry's, which was cut much shorter, barely touching his ears. Seth's was messy, as if he didn't bother to smooth it out when he woke up in the morning. It flopped midway down his forehead and stuck up in all different places. He had a sort of boyish look about his face, very sweet like. Oh gosh, his eyes…

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked away._ Don't do that_, I chided myself.

I picked up my pace, wanting to get back to the house desperately.

"Let's talk about Emily then," he said.

The woman's scared face and huge belly popped into my head. Safe enough subject. "Okay," I agreed. "She's very pretty."

"And very pregnant." He added, chuckling slightly. "I call twins, even though they say there's only one kickin' in there."

I shook my head. "No, I say one. One very big boy."

"Nope," Seth said, shaking his own head. "Two kids, two very large twins."

"No way," I protested, smiling just a little. "My English teacher was pregnant last year and her stomach was so huge, she literally sat two feet away from her desk. And that was at six month. One boy popped out in May, ten pounds, eleven ounces. I call big baby."

"Oh yea? You wanna bet on that?" He asked, daring me to accept the challenge.

"I wanna bet on that," I agreed. "Ten bucks says it's a baby boy. And a big one. Another ten that he's at least nine pounds."

"You're on," he said with a mischievous smile. "Twenty says its twins. Another twenty says identical."

"It is so on," I say, giving him my own mischievous smile. I have never lost a bet, and didn't plan on it now.

He held out his hand, still smiling at me. "Shake on it."

I was nervous to touch him again after what happened earlier, the whole heat thing and the tingles. I could still feel them. I swallowed hard and grabbed his hand, expecting it this time. And happen it did. The warmth spread all the way down to my toes and I could feel myself smiling stupidly. We held hands just a second too long, and in that instant, I knew there was something more. And I was scared.

Seth seemed genuinely pleased with himself as we came up on the house. Embry had already gone in a few minutes before us and when we walked in, someone whistled at Seth and another guy slapped him on the back, boasting out a loud, "Congrats man."

I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion and he looked down at me, gave everyone a pointed look and rolled his eyes at them, as if to say, "don't listen to these dorks."

Then I noticed Val, fuming in the corner, shooting daggers at Seth while Embry stood in front of her, looking as if he were trying to calm her down and failing miserably.

**Reviews?**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, I just realized that in the last chapter I put Embry instead of Brady. Brady was supposed to be the one walking with Seth when he meets Kat.**

_Oh crap._ I thought to myself, as I watched my sister fume and snap out replies to Embry several times. _What did I do now?_

I separated myself from Seth when he got swallowed up by all the guys. I could hear some of Val's rant as I quietly walked up to them.

"It's not OK Embry!" She cried, stamping her foot. "She's too young. He's too old. And they're at _that_ age. I don't like it. I don't want her going through what I have to go through every day."

"Is it really that hard for you Val?" Embry asked, sounding hurt. "Are you that miserable?"

"Yes Embry, it's hard, but I'm not miserable. I'm so happy here. But she won't be. She can't handle it. She can barely handle being here, just _here_ in La Push. She hates it here. And she's putting on an act. _For me_." Her voice hitched and she paused, closing her eyes. When she opened them, fire blazed. "And I'll be _damned_ if she ever feels like she has to stay any longer than necessary. He will not weigh her down. She's going back home. Hell, she can go back tomorrow if it'll help her case."

Whoa. I've never seen her that worked up about something before.

"Babe, he's already seen her, imprinted. It's too late. And that's not fair." Embry said gravely.

"I don't care if she bloody fell-" she snapped her mouth shut, spotting me for the first time since she stopped glaring at Seth.

She forced a smile. "Hey Kit-Kat. We're going home now, ok?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but didn't get a chance. Val stormed past me, dragging Embry behind her. I think she was actually trying to find Seth. I plopped down into an empty seat on the couch and as I waited, reviewed her rant in my head.

She didn't want me seeing Seth apparently. I mean, that was who she was talking about obviously. But I'd seriously _just_ met the guy. We talked for ten minutes tops. And yea, he was pretty cool, and really_, really_ attractive, and had big muscles and I felt fire when we touched, but that didn't matter. It could seriously be nothing and she's freaking out. Overprotective much?

And what was that thing that Embry said, about it being too late? What was too late? Just, what?

And she knew I was faking. She could see right through my big fake smile and false cheeriness. She'd always been able to. Why would now be any different? And the saddest part? I'd only been back for a handful of hours. I glanced at my watch and put my head into my hands, wanting to scream in frustration. Nine hours, I'd been here _nine freaking hours_ and Val could already see I was miserable. And she was miserable because of it. I straightened up, glancing around for my sister. I would stop faking it from now on, because this wasn't about me, it was about Val. And if faking it was upsetting her more than just being me, there was no call for it.

Embry and Val whispered the whole ride home, Val waving her hands around and practically crying. I could barely make out what they were saying; stuff about me and Seth and again with the printers!

Embry pulled up to the house and I walked inside, giving Val and Embry some alone time to finally sort things out without me around.

Dad's old pickup was in the driveway, and he was parked in his old recliner, the same one he's had my whole life. He was asleep.

I stood in the entryway of the living room, watching him. I had the sudden urge to go crawl in his lap like I did when I was five.

Val came crashing through the front door, nearly knocking me over. "Sorry!" She cried, grabbing onto my arm for support. Dad bolted upright in his chair and smiled at us. "Good evening girls," he said quietly.

"Hey Dad," I said awkwardly.

"Did you girls have fun?" he asked, hugging us both.

Jan crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "No, we did not have fun!"

"Why not?" He asked, looking at me curiously. I shrugged.

"We… just… We didn't! That's all!" She sputtered, spinning around and stomping up the stairs and slamming her door.

Dad turned to me, an eyebrow quirked. "Don't look at me, I don't know," I said, turning around and following Jan up the stairs.

Dad came in a few minutes later, knocking lightly before entering. I set aside the book I was reading, seeing the serious look on his face.

"Yea Dad?" I asked, sitting up in my bed. He came and sat next to me.

"I just wanted to say welcome back. I missed you and I'm glad you're ho-here." He smiled at me and patted my leg.

I smiled back. "Thanks Dad. Goodnight."

He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "Goodnight," He said. He looked like he wanted to say more, but no words came out. Instead he stood up and left, shutting out my light and closing the door softly.

I awoke to the sound of pots and pans crashing downstairs. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, slightly disoriented. This wasn't my-Oh, yea.

Yelling was following the crashes.

"No!" _Crash! Bang!_ "… Printing of Katlyn…" _Bang!_ "This'll just make things worse!" _Crash! Slam! "_… So leave!_"_

I ran downstairs to see what the commotion was all about, colliding with someone hard as rock at the bottom of the staircase. I fell backwards, tripping over the steps.

"Ow!" I yelped as my head smacked against the edge of the hardwood steps.

"Oh crap! Are you ok?" The person I'd rammed into, a guy apparently, asked.

I blinked rapidly several times, my vision slightly blurred around the edges. Seth was leaning over me, hands frozen midair, as if not knowing what to do. Our eyes locked and the room started spinning. Although that was probably just the concussion I just got.

"I thought I told you to leave," Val said, entering the living room. "God, what happened?" She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the offender.

"I… she…" Seth stuttered, motioning to me and then the stairs.

I sat up slowly, holding the back of my head. I winced as the world started tilting.

"You ok?" Val asked, kneeling down beside me. She was fuzzy around the edges and I blinked rapidly, trying to focus.

"Uhm, yea, I'm OK." I said, shaking my head slowly, trying really hard to clear my vision.

Val sighed dramatically. "No, you're not. Oh jeez, you're bleeding Kat."

She helped me stand up and I swayed slightly in her grasp. "What did you do to her?"

"I said I'm fine Val," I snapped, pressing a hand to my head. I winced at the bump forming and when I pulled it away, blood was smeared across it. _Crap._

"Yea, you're definitely going to the hospital," Val said, using her no nonsense voice, catching me while as I swayed. She started walking me outside, instructing Seth to grab a dishtowel and ice. I didn't fight anymore because I was getting a killer headache.

Seth gave me the ice-pack and I pressed it against the pulsing spot on the back of my head.

She suddenly whirled around, causing me to sway unsteadily again.

"Just where do you think you are going?" She snapped at Seth, who had followed us out the door.

"The hospital," he said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh no you are not! You can march right straight back to the pack. In no way are you coming around her ever again, especially if this is what happens when you come around." I winced as she screamed in my ear, really letting Seth have it. Val doesn't typically scream, and when she does, it come out shrill and ripping, from vocal chords unaccustomed to be raised over normal tones.

"Val" I groaned. "Shut up. You're making it worse."

My sister scowled at Seth before whirling back around and re-supporting my weight. She helped me up into her Escape and glared as Seth climbed into the backseat. But she didn't protest.

Eight stitches, a bald spot and three hours later, I walked out of the emergency room feeling slightly fuzzy from the painkiller the young Dr. Cullen had given me. I didn't have a concussion. Seth looked relieved, Val just looked incredibly pissed. We got in the car silently. The tension in the car was so thick it would take a cleaver to chop through it.

I wobbled a little as I slid out of the front seat and landed uncertainly on my feet. Seth's hand reached out to steady me and even through the fog of painkillers, I could feel the warmth spreading through my arm, slow and steady.

"Thanks," I mumbled. He smiled and I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Go home Seth," Val ordered as soon as she came around from the driver's side. "That's enough for today. Don't come back again."

I watched as he walked down our driveway, casting a look over his shoulder at me. I was reminded of a wounded dog as he slowly looked away.

I glared at Val and rolled my eyes. She didn't have to be so mean. I stormed into the house, well as easy as storming in can be when your head is all fuzzy from medicine and you're still a little of balance at the minor concussion you received.

Val didn't chase after me. I stomped up to my room and lay down in my bed.

When I woke up a few hours later, my head was killing me again. I blinked rapidly and sat up, letting my covers fall into my lap. I slowly made my way downstairs, where a note was taped to the fridge.

_Lil Sis,_

_Lunch is in the microwave, meds are on the counter. Make sure you eat when you take your pills. I had to go to work early. Feel better._

_-Val_

I found the orange bottle of ibuprofen in the middle of the counter next to the stove. I popped one of the large, 800 mg pills and pulled a cool bowl of soup out of the microwave. I reheated it, taking it to the couch and turning on the TV.

I was dozing on the couch, Suite Life playing in the background when there was a knock on the door. I jumped awake and glanced around groggily. There was another knock, louder this time. I pulled myself up from the couch and shuffled to the door. The third knock was even louder, more impatient. "I'm coming!" I snapped and the knocking stopped. I swung the door open, glaring angrily outside at the offender. My expression softened when I saw Seth standing in the doorway. I always felt bad for the people my sister was mean to.

"Hey Seth," I said, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. I glanced down at my pajamas, realizing that I hadn't changed earlier. I blushed, crossing my arms over my unsupported chest.

"Hi, is your sister home?" He asked worriedly. I shook my head and he visibly relaxed. "Thank God," he muttered, then, upon seeing my raised eyebrows, began to apologize profusely.

"Don't apologize." I say, shaking my head. "Val's a lot to handle. I'm really sorry about the way she's been treating you. It's not like her. Do you want to come in?" I stepped aside, motioning for him to enter.

He nodded, walking inside. I shifted uncomfortably, shutting the door behind him.

I cleared my throat. "I'm going to go get dressed," I said awkwardly, turning away and jogging to my room. "I'll be right down!" I called.

I quickly changed from my soffee shorts and tank top to a t-shirt and jeans. I yanked a hair brush through the messy mop on top of my head and, careful to avoid the stitches. I brushed my teeth and washed my face before going back downstairs.

"Sorry," I said, when I found Seth in the living room standing awkwardly. "So, what's up? What did you need?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted to check on you. And tell you I'm really sorry about this morning. Is your head ok?"

I nodded, feeling the gauze on the back of my head and wincing. "I'm better. And don't worry about it. Val tends to get a little overprotective sometimes. Don't let her get to you. I'm really, really sorry she's being so hateful towards you."

He shrugged again, nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. I can take it." He smiled at me reassuringly and I felt myself start to melt. He was trying to make me feel better.

I stood there rubbing my arm for a minute, just staring at him and trying to think of something to say or do.

He really was an attractive man. He was tall, super tall, at least 6' 4". He had broad, strong shoulders and you could see the definition of the muscles in his chest through his black t-shirt. The color brought out the deep tone in his russet skin. His worn out jean shorts fit his hips snugly, and they reached a few inches past his knees. Just standing there he looked strong and protective, invincible. And yet he let a little 5 foot flat squirt order him around like a slave. I shook my head, clearing away the thoughts. Maybe he was just being a gentleman.

"Would you like something to drink? Eat?" I asked, mentally slapping myself for staring so long.

"Uhm, sure, what do you have?" He answered, following me as I walked to the kitchen.

"I honestly have no idea, but I'm sure I can scrounge something up." I said, opening the fridge. I began listing off the foods which included all of the following:

A jar of open jelly

Half empty jug of milk

Three expired yogurts

A bottle of mustard

One beer left of a six pack

Leftover Spaghetti from last night

"Do you like spaghetti?" I asked, reaching for the Tupperware container. "It's either that, or expired Yoplait."

He nodded, and being very experienced with microwaves, my mom and I spent two years on diets like Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig, I began to reheat the leftovers.

We stood quietly, the silence stretching between us. I caught the corner of my lip and began to skim my teeth over it in my habitual chew.

_This is soo awkward! _I yelled in my head, having no idea what to do. I tapped my fingers on the counter impatiently, listening to the hum of the microwave, waiting for the stupid beep. Seth, however, obviously didn't feel the same way I did. He seemed to be content to just watch as I shifted from foot to foot and shot hurry up glances at the microwave. When the contraption finally goes off, alerting the world that finally, _finally_ the spaghetti is off. I sigh in relief. Those were the two most awkward minutes of my life.

I busy myself scooping the leftovers onto a plate and grabbing the appropriate silverware. I set the table, give him a glass of water and wait for Seth to sit down. When he begins to scarf down the food in front of him, I turn to the dishes in the sink, rinsing out the bowl and setting it in the dishwasher. With nothing else to do, I go and sit across from Seth.

"So…" I say, trailing off before catching the corner of my lip between my teeth nervously.

"So…?" Seth says, trailing it off into a question. He looks at me expectantly. I can't take the pressure of the silence. It's deafening. So, I let the first thing in my brain pop out.

"Why is Val so mad at you?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Kat and Wolf 4**

**Ok, so this one isn't quite as good as I'd like it to be. I was struggling with writers block for a few days, so it's kind of dragged out and really bad. But I think I've got it now. It still sucks though.**

Two full hours later, Seth and I were still talking. He'd initially ignored my question about Val, dodging it easily. He eventually claimed not to know why she hated him so much, that she'd never had a problem with him until now. He was avoiding my eyes the entire time we talked about her and eventually, I changed the subject. There was a real reason to Val's hatred of the kid, I'd find out what it was.

I did, however, find out that Seth is 21, a full three years older than me, hardly a kid really. He never went to college, just working at Jake's car garage for the most part. He has a sister Leah, although I don't remember meeting her at the party.

"She lives in Georgia, with our distant cousins." He explained when I asked why she wasn't at the get-together last night. "She doesn't really like it around here."

"Ha," I barked sarcastically. "I don't blame her." I snapped my mouth shut the moment the remark popped out. "Sorry," I muttered. "That was rude. Why doesn't she like it here?"

He gave me a funny look, like a cross between amusement and like he was trying not to say something. "Bad blood," He finally said, shrugging, like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

I frowned. "Elaborate," I said, my inner-gossiping-teenager kicking in. I was an absolutely terrible gossip. "I want to know."

"Well, see, a couple years back, when I was still a kid in the middle of our whole…" he paused, considering his next word "group, per se, Sam and Leah were, uhm, involved." My eyes widened, picturing the large man holding little Emily, hugely pregnant, close, staring deeply into her eyes. "I wasn't even really in the group yet when this all went down. Sam and Leah were really in love. They were even planning on getting married. Well, one day, Emily came down from the Makah res and well, the rest is history. Sam broke up with Leah because he fell in love with Emily and they've been inseparable ever since."

I watched him sympathetically as he continued to explain how after watching them together for years and getting ripped to pieces every second of it, she left, made her way to Georgia and settled down there, away from La Push.

"Poor thing," I mumbled to myself. I reached over, grabbing Seth's water glass and plate and taking them to the sink. As I rinsed them off, Seth came to stand next to me.

"Why do you hate it here?" He asked after a beat of silence. I shrugged, hoping the subject would be lost, like last night.

But he wouldn't let it go. He mimicked my shrug and stepped in front of me as I turned to leave the dishwasher behind. "That is not an answer."

I glowered at him playfully. "Let me through," I demanded, crossing my arms.

"Not until you answer my question," he said, mimicking my stance again. He was staring down at me seriously, trying to look menacing, but I could see just under that layer a hint of playfulness, smiling through his eyes. It was cute. Like he was a big puppy.

"No," I said, grinning up at him, daring him to try something.

"One more chance," he said simply, taking a small step forward, a little too much in my personal space. I could feel the electricity zapping between us. Oh God, what if he touched me again? I wouldn't be able to handle it in this pent up space. My body would melt into a puddle right at his feet.

"No," I said again, more defiantly. I even stamped my foot a little. "I don't want to talk about it."

Seth quirked an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. I wanted to giggle at how cute he looked.

I shook my head, clearing away the thought. _No boys_. I reminded myself. I started to sidestep him, getting just in front, maybe two feet ahead, when I felt his strong arm suddenly yank me back. I stumbled backwards, crashing into his warm chest. Oh God, I was so dead.

I squeaked as he set his free hand on my stomach, just above and to the right of my belly button. "Last chance," he mumbled, close to my ear. My breath caught in my throat and I thought I was going to pass out for a second. I weakly shook my head no. I felt him shrug behind me and his hand tense on my belly. I let out a shriek as his fingers began to wiggle across my stomach.

"Oh… God! Please… stop! Seth!... Please… stop!" I shouted between peals of laughter. I couldn't breathe. It was like he knew exactly where I was most ticklish at.

"Give in." He said simply and when I shook my head, I was completely flabbergasted by what happened next. Seth lifted me off the floor and threw me over his shoulder. He carried me to the living room, throwing me gently on the couch. He smiled wickedly down at me before diving towards my socked feet. Before he could go any further I screeched out just in time "Dear God! Please don't touch my feet! I'll tell you!"

He looked back at me satisfied. "I thought so. I can be very persuasive."

I glared at him as I curled my feet up and he sat in the seat next to me. "So, what happened?"

And just like that, the mood was serious again. I shrugged. When he went to open his mouth in protest, I glared at him for real. "Just, give me a second to think. The only other person I've ever told is my best friend Ali."

I sat for a second, rubbing my hands across the knees of my jeans. It had been over two years since I'd tried to explain why I refused to go to La Push for any amount of time. And the first time I tried to explain it, I cried all over Ali for a solid thirty minutes.

I took a deep breath, letting it out in a big gush. "My parents divorced when I was ten," I began, settling back into the couch. Seth leaned forward, resting his head in his hand and quirked an eyebrow as if to say "That's it?" I scowled and looked down at my lap. "They've fought for as far back as I can remember. They've hated each other's guts for at least twelve years now, if not longer. It was terrible growing up here. Everywhere I look, I see one of their fights, hear the voices I never want to hear again." I sighed and glanced over at the closet where there was just the slightest dent in the wall. "See that? My eighth birthday my dad dropped the cake. It really wasn't that big of a deal, but when everyone left, my mom yelled at him for a solid hour. She told him he was a life-ruiner and that he was a screw up. Just look what he did to the carpet. It would set us back at least 80 dollars to get it cleaned. Eventually, the fight died down, but only for a little while. Later that night, they started at it again and when I went downstairs, they were yelling and screaming at each other and my mom threw the TV remote at him. It was like that most days."

I sat there for a second, letting the silence settle in around us. He didn't break it, giving me space to keep control of myself. I glanced over at him and noticed he now looked sympathetic. "When I was ten, they had the worst fight ever. We were having a normal day. Mom and Dad were bickering constantly, but nothing too crazy. They had just announced the divorce a few days earlier and Val and I were pretty relieved. Their argument of choice was now who would get the kids."I took another steadying breath and closed my eyes. When I reopened them, Seth was watching me intently. "Dad wanted us and Mom was threatening a custody battle. Finally, they had a huge blowout again at home and Dad said," I paused and swallowed "Dad said, 'Take the little bitches, they'll probably turn out like you anyways.' There was more said, but most of its forgettable and the rest just is too hurtful to talk about. But it was terrible. Because when we left, he didn't even bat an eye. I didn't speak to him for two years after that. I haven't been back in a long time. This is really hard for me."

I looked away, suddenly wondering why I'd just told all my personal business to a basically complete stranger. Somewhere in the middle of all our gut-spilling the awkward tension slipped away. I pulled my knees up to my chest, staring at the TV, which was now playing Wizards of Waverly Place.

"I'm sorry," Seth said after a few minutes of silence. "That does suck." I glanced over at him and he smiled at me ruefully. "Maybe you can make some good memories this summer."

I smiled back and shrugged doubtfully. "Maybe. Thanks."

A few hours later, after Seth left, I was hanging upside-down on the couch, watching the TV, completely bored out of my mind. All the blood was settling into my brain and I was pretty sure my face was the color of a cherry tomato. My stitches were beginning to throb, but I was too bored to care.

When I heard the front door open, I popped into an upward position, facing whoever was coming in.

"Hey Val," I said easily as I felt slightly dizzy from the blood now gushing back down into the rest of my body.

"Hey lil' sis," Val said tiredly, tossing her rain jacket across the back of the couch and kicking off a pair of white keds.

"How was work?" I asked.

Val trudged across the room and plopped down next to me on the couch. I turned to face her.

"Rough. We were really busy today. Busier than normal. I have no idea why. Ugh," she groaned and tucked her feet underneath her body. "I hurt everywhere."

I frowned. "I'm sorry. That sucks."

Val shrugged and leaned her head back against the sofa, closing her eyes. "Yea, we were short-staffed again. Ever since Kim got pregnant, there haven't been nearly enough people to work." She sat for a minute, just resting her eyes before she suddenly lifted her head and grinned at me. "You should come help us out!" She exclaimed. "It would be a good summer job and you'd get a little extra money on the side for whatever you wanted. I could talk to John tomorrow if you want." She smiled at me hopefully.

Typical Val. She didn't even give me a chance to say no. Not that I was complaining, just stating the facts. I nodded. Besides, she was just trying to help. A summer job wouldn't be so bad. Especially not if I was supposed to be paying for my bridesmaid dress. And it would give me a cure to the boredom. I would not survive the summer hanging backwards on the couch for hours on end watching Disney channel.

"Sure," I said smiling back. "Why not?"

We had spaghetti for dinner. Again. Apparently, if Val didn't cook, it was all Dad knew how to make. And Val didn't cook tonight because she was with Embry.

"You know Dad," I said, pushing away the plate I'd only taken a few bites out of, "I'm not very hungry tonight. I think I'll just go watch TV or something."

I slid the leftover spaghetti into a Tupperware container and set it in the fridge. He'd eat what I didn't for lunch tomorrow.

I wondered aimlessly through the house while Dad finished his food. I stopped at the door to Val's room and realize I haven't been in once in the whole two days I've been here. I stand there, looking at the plain white door, like I used to so many years ago, in the middle of the night, just before giving our quiet, secret knock and going in.

I gently push open the door. Val got the bigger room of the two of us. It was only fair, she was born first. She had more to work with. When we were kids, her room was a cross between our playroom and her bedroom. In the corner where she now has a desk, scattered with wedding plans, there was our three foot tall doll house where we played Barbie's for hours on end. She'd upsized her bed from an extra-large twin to a full king sized set. She'd changed the color of the wall from soft pink to soft blue and donned her room in chocolate brown accents. The curtains covering her window were sheer brown and pulled back, the blinds pulled up, exposing our quite breathtaking view of our backyard and deep forest beyond.

I stared at the backyard. It was well kept with a garden growing in the back corner where we'd once had a plastic swing set. There was a tree right between our two windows. I had been too short to climb down it as a kid, but never too short to climb it when I got the urge. Val had planted a flower bed around the bottom of it.

Now that I realized it, the house had a touch of Val everywhere. Not just the backyard, but the kitchen had nice new appliances that we didn't even think about until the three of us moved away from here. She'd repainted the counters, albeit they were still white. The bathroom had been redone in the same blues and browns as her bedroom and the living room had been rearranged. I'd noticed these changes when I'd come back, but hadn't fully seen how major they were. When we'd visited when we were younger, everything had been the same as the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that. But now, Val had moved in, made herself at home. I think she was helping Dad heal too.

I brought myself back to the here and now, walking over to Val's desk. There was a blue binder propped up and open, a guests list in the making. I flipped the page and found the bridal party, obviously under construction. Name had been marked off and rewritten umpteen times. The only four solid names that had never been touched were the Maid of Honor (Me) and the Best Man (Jacob), and the Flower Girl (Claire) and the Ring Bearer (Baby to Be). I frowned as I ran my finger down the messy list. Nearly half the girls from the party last night had been listed, then dashed out, listed again, dashed out and listed again. From the looks of it, she'd have a bridal party of at least 26. We had a lot of work to do. Might as well get started as soon as possible.

I was going through Val's blue book, organizing her lists and failed attempts at wedding plans. We'd get started first thing in the morning. I'd ask all the questions and minimize her bridal party of 26 to ten. I glanced at my phone, checking the time. I smiled sadly at my wallpaper, a picture of me and Ali at the beach just a week ago. Our hair was piled on top of our heads in matted buns, skin oily from tanning lotion. Marcus, Ali's boyfriend, took the picture.

It was 11:45 and Val would be home any minute. I set her book back where I'd found it, closed and organized now, and turned around in the chair to see Val standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Embry stood behind her, a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry," I blurted. I motioned to her book. "I saw it open and I was looking at it and well, I was going to talk to you about it tomorrow, but…" I trailed off.

"So you just came in my room and did as you pleased?" She asked accusingly.

I pursed my lips together, knowing it was better to just get up and leave than to say anything at all. Otherwise, there'd be a fight.

"I was just trying to help," I mumbled when I got to the door of my bedroom. "If you aren't too mad at me, I'll be up at seven tomorrow, before you go to work, and we can get started on wedding details."

I slipped into my bedroom and walked over to my bed. I pulled out my laptop and began to look for bridesmaid dresses that Val would like.

I could hear Embry and Val talking in her room all night last night. He didn't leave until at least two. Then, there was another hour of Val chitchatting on the phone with whoever, possibly Embry, probably Kim. Finally, when she went to bed at four freaking o'clock in the morning, I could fall asleep. When I woke up, it was 8:30. Four and a half hours of sleep. And I slept late.

I forced myself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. I turned on the shower, not bothering with the temperature or the lights. When I stepped under the spray, it was scalding hot, burning all of my senses to shreds. I didn't move, just let boiling hot water fall over my body, washing the sleep down the drain. I tilted my head back, letting it burn my scalp and run over my face.

I didn't get out of the shower until 9:00, but God, did I feel better. The steam swirled around me as I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my hot body. I walked quickly to my room, the cold beginning to seep into my wet skin. I changed into some sweats and piled my hair on top of my head in what was attempted to be a nice ponytail, but came out in some sort of half bun, half ponytail, all knot mess.

I skipped downstairs in a somewhat happy mood. Less than six hours of sleep always caused me to act a little funny. Like skipping downstairs. I twirled into the kitchen, yanking open the fridge and pulling out a fresh gallon of milk. I wanted coco puffs. Screw my diet. And, screw the fact that this milk was whole, not skim. I didn't care today.

I sat down at the table, my bowl piled high with sugary, chocolatey goodness.

"Well, good morning to you too," Val said, smiling at me, last night forgotten. She laughed as I shoved another bite full of coco puffs into my mouth. _Mmm_.

"Goff moaning," I mumbled around the blockage food. "Heyff Emfry."

They both laughed at me as I shoveled the food into mouth, barely stopping to breathe. When my bowl was empty and I'd drained the last bit of chocolate milk from the bottom, Val pulled out her blue binder. _Uh Oh._

"I was looking through this this morning and I noticed it was a little different than the last time I wrote in it," Val said, lifting an eyebrow at me accusingly.

I bit my lip guiltily. "Uhm…"

"Kit-Kat, how did you do it? I couldn't, for the life of me, find any way to sort this jumbled mess of mine and you somehow created a perfectly organized wedding book. How?" She was staring at me in wonder. I shrugged.

"It wasn't easy," I said, then smiled playfully, "you have the organizational skills of a squirrel, you just kind of pack it all in there."

"Well, call me Alvin, because whatever you did, my book isn't falling apart anymore," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "Val, Alvin was a chipmunk."

**So? Reviews por favor?**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, I'm going to start two more stories along with this one that interact with this one. The first is I Hate Love and there's a full summary that will be on my profile and along with the story. When I get the idea for the second story, which is still developing in my ever overworking brain, I'll post about it.**

Val shut the wedding book with a final _snap_ looking very please. We'd gotten quite a bit accomplished in the two hours we'd worked. My goal, to minimize the bridal party to ten was a success. Val had settled on Kim, Emily, and Janelle, her best friend from back in North Carolina that she still kept in constant touch with, as her other three bridesmaids. Embry's groomsmen were settled on Quil, Jared, and Seth. There had been some dispute on whether or not to include Jared as groomsmen, something about split sides, the first I'd heard of any kind of split in their family like group. It was mostly Val's qualms for Embry.

She glanced at her watch and looked alarmed. "Oh shoot, we only have half an hour to get you ready," she said, pushing away from the table. "My plan had been to take you shopping, but it looks like you'll just have to borrow some of my clothes."

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion. "Val, what are you talking about?"

My scatterbrained sister smacked her forehead in frustration. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! I forgot to tell you that I called John this morning to ask him about hiring you. And he agreed and said you should come in today for training. You have to have a _La Push's Diner_ t-shirt and black pants or shorts and white or black, no slip shoes. And I forgot to take you shopping." She sighed and grabbed my hand, dragging me halfway upstairs before turning and dashing back to the dining room. She gave Embry a quick kiss, muttered _I love you_ and then ran back upstairs to where I was waiting patiently by her door.

She reached into her closet, throwing clothing items at me while I stood in the middle of the room. "These don't really fit me anymore, they're too small. I think they're your size." I caught the black pair of shorts and white t-shirt she tossed my way.

"Isn't it a little cold for shorts?" I asked skeptically. They looked like they would be an alright length on Val, but I was a little taller than her.

"Nah, it'll be like 70, maybe even 80 today." She said.

I shrugged. Why not?

"This, my darling sister, is the La Push Diner. It says Welcome." Val said, gesturing grandly to the small room. There was a long counter with worn stools set in front of it, their vinyl slightly cracked. Newer looking booths lined the walls up to the front doors, eight total, and about ten worn tables sat on each side of the restaurant.

"Hey Val!" I heard a familiar voice call. I glanced around, looking for the source, when a young girl Val's age appeared from a swinging door in the right corner, carrying armfuls of rolled silverware, napkins, and napkin holders.

"Hey Kim," Val replied, tossing her purse on the counter and walking over to help her. I stood awkwardly while they stocked up underneath the counter and Val put on the coffee. She introduced me to the kitchen staff, Mark and James.

"Kim," Val said, once she'd pressed the button on top of the third coffee maker, "this is my sister Kat. I'm pretty sure you met at Emily's, but I honestly can't remember. So I'm reintroducing you."

"Right, I remember you, nice to meet you again. Are you my replacement?" She asked, holding out her hand.

I nod and accept her handshake. "Yep, and I think I remember you. Jared's girl, right?"

Kim smiled brightly at the mention of the guy's name. "Yes ma'am, that's my man." Val laughed from across the room, shaking her head.

Kim comes from behind the counter and I can see just how hugely pregnant she is now. Her belly pokes out over her apron and her La Push Diner t-shirt is stretched as far as it can go over her stomach. She has one hand resting contentedly on her round belly and the other carrying a mug of coffee.

"Kim," Val scolds, glaring at the cup in her hand.

"It's decaf," Kim shoots back, sticking her tongue out at my sister, who has now moved on to switching one machine after the other on. She's telling me about them as she goes, coffee, which she's already done, shake machine, drink machine. This one has that button, that one does this, this one needs this before that one needs that.

Val checks her watch before walking over to the door and flipping the closed sign in the doorway to open. Our first customers come in about ten minutes later. They slide into a booth and Val immediately heads over, pulling out two menus from under the counter and motioning for me to follow.

The rest of the afternoon passes in a blur as I slowly get the hang of what I'm doing with customers. Val let's me lose on my own at about six. She says I've learned my way and should be ok on my own. Kim leaves.

We're on the dinner rush and Val's called in backup, a girl from Forks who comes in when she's needed, but she's almost as bad as I am when it comes to waitressing. She's dropped three orders since seven, when she got in, and it's now eight.

I notice another set of customers waiting to be seated and let Jane, the other waitress, seat them. I grab four menus and dish them out.

"Hi y'all, my name's Kat and I'll be helping you out," I say, reaching into my apron for my order book and pen. I pause when I see that it's Collin, Brady, Seth and Jacob. "Oh, hey guys." I say, avoiding Seth's gaze. I feel a little awkward about my word vomit yesterday. "What can I get you to drink?"

I quickly scribble down the orders and put them together on a tray, checking on a few tables as I go. I come back around to get their food orders, rushing through it. For some reason, I have a really weird feeling about Seth and I can't figure out what it is and why it's scaring me.

I fly through the rest of their meal, doing my waitress duties, but keeping my distance. They leave just as quickly as they come, all four looking just slightly confused and Seth looking extremely disappointed. He lags behind, letting them walk out. He looks like he's trying to make up his mind. I watch him from the counter as I refill a couple's drink orders. He glanced around the diner, his gaze landing on me and staying there. I quirked an eyebrow at him. He smiled at me and I couldn't help it, I smiled back.

Seth made his way over to the counter, sitting in an empty stool. I walked over, neither of us ever looking away.

"Hey," I said, leaning forward.

"Hey," he said back. And we just sat there, looking at each other. I didn't even feel awkward. No, that was gone, done for. How could I feel awkward around Seth? There was no way. Perfectly comfortable.

"Kat!" I heard Val snap somewhere behind me and I popped up, feeling a blush color my cheeks. "Get back to work."

"Sorry!" I called and smiled apologetically at Seth. "I'll be right back."

I did a round on my tables, checking two tables out and refilling three tables' drinks. I glanced over at Seth, who was watching me from across the room and I couldn't help but smile at him. One corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile back and I could feel my heart drop to my toes at the sight.

I made my way over and leaned against my hip against the counter across from him. "So, can I get you anything? Want a drink?" I asked.

"Actually, I want something." He paused, looking slightly flirtatious. "You. And a date, Saturday night."

I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. "You sir, are ridiculous."

He smiled at me and, like always when it comes to Seth, I couldn't help it, I smiled like an idiot and my face got beet red and all I could was smile back. I sighed, and nodded my head yes. He beamed back at me and started to stand up. "Perfect. I'll pick you up at five. Wear something nice."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Where are we going?"

He smiled secretively. "It's a surprise," he said before winking and walking away.

_Oh lord. _I thought as I watched him walk out the door. _How am I going to tell Val?_

Three days later, I'm standing in front of my closet, freaking out. It's almost four-thirty and I haven't picked out anything to wear. What remains is three camis and a pair of jeans. The rest is strewed about my room, clothes covering every inch of my floor, bedroom, and dresser. I let out a shriek of frustration and fall backwards into one of the massive piles. A second later there's a light knock on my door.

"What?" I growl.

"Kit Kat?" Val asks, shoving the door against another pile of clothes. Her eyes widen at the mess engulfing my room. "Good-_ness_. It looks like a tornado came through here. What happened?"

I grumbled under my breath and sat up, scooting clothes out of my way. "I can't find anything to wear."

I watched confusion cross over Val's face and I could just feel what was coming on. "Wear where?"

I sighed and looked down guiltily. "I have a date tonight." I said nervously, biting my lip.

"With who?" She asked suspiciously, giving me a death glare.

"Seth," I whispered and winced, waiting for the oncoming wrath that was my sister. When nothing happened, I glanced up to see she was still standing in my doorway, arms crossed over her chest, glaring at me.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Val huffed and rolled her eyes. "Do not apologize," she snapped. "Ugh. I'm sorry." She paused and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I've been terrible about this whole Seth thing. I of all people should understand." She shook her head and walked over to my bed and began to dig through the mountain of clothes.

"What are you doing?" I asked, standing up.

"I'm helping you get an outfit together. Where are you going for dinner?" She said, pulling out a t-shirt and shaking her head before tossing it to the side.

I shrugged. "He didn't say. He just told me to dress nicely. Why are being so nice all of a sudden? You hate Seth."

"It's your first date. At least around me. And just because it's with a guy I don't particularly care for doesn't mean I'm not going to be here for you. He's probably going to take you to this really nice Italian place all the guys go to because the foods good and it's the closest thing to an upscale restaurant we have within a two hour driving distance. It's in Port Angeles so there's a little bit of a drive involved."

I nodded dumbly as she dove into my piles upon piles of clothes and resurfaced ten minutes later with an off the shoulders quarter sleeve black dress. "Why not this?" She asks slightly breathless.

"Where did you find that?" I exclaim, reaching for the dress.

"Never underestimate the power of Val," she said, winking. "I have some red pumps and jewelry that will match this perfectly. Follow me."

Within twenty minutes I'm dressed, wearing shoes taller than the pair I wore last year for prom. That was the year I sprained my ankle dancing and swore never to wear a pair of heels again. Yet here I was. My hair was curled softly, falling gently down my back and Val had done my makeup far better than I ever could. I was shocked at the girl staring back at me in the mirror. She was stunning, the dress showing my every curve, without actually showing my every curve. My legs looked long and tan, exposed in the kind of short, but not exactly hoochi mama, dress. The red heels only added to the effect.

"Whoa," I whispered, touching my cheek.

"Don't you dare smudge your make up. So help me God Katlyn Marie Tucker…" Val trailed off, glaring at me from the kitchen.

"Sorry," I yelped, yanking my hand away.

_Knock-Knock-Knock_

I froze where I stood, staring at the door in fear.

"Go upstairs," Val mouthed at me, pointing up as she walked towards the front door. I nodded dumbly, my mouth hanging open and dashed to the top of the staircase.

I stood there, watching as Val opened the door and let Seth in. Was it really only yesterday that I'd last seen him? We'd stood behind the diner on my lunch break, talking while I chowed down on a burger and French fries. Seth had made me laugh so hard that day, I nearly spit my coke out all over his shirt. Instead, I'd turned my head quickly, aiming for the ground. He'd come by every day since that first day to sit and talk with me on the back curb while I ate. It was our own private time. And Val never went behind the diner; she didn't like the back alley.

"Kat!" Val called. "Seth's here." I could just barely hear her talking to Seth, more like scolding really, and for a second I could've sworn she mentioned printers again. I rolled my eyes and yelled down "Coming!"

The room disappeared the second I saw him. He was in a pair of dress slacks, the crease perfect. He was wearing a light, pastel blue button up shirt, ironed to perfection. Everything was perfect about him really. He looked so good, his muscles straining slightly against the sleeves and across the chest. He'd combed his hair, although it was still a big shaggy mess. I blushed at the urge to run my fingers through it.

His mouth popped open when he saw me and he quickly snapped it shut. One corner of his mouth lifted into that half grin I was beginning to love.

"You look gorgeous," he half whispered as I came to stand in front of him.

"Thanks," I said, pulling at the hem of my dress. It came down about mid-thigh and I wanted to keep it there.

I only came to about his shoulders in my heels and he was leaning down slightly, our faces only inches apart. "Absolutely gorgeous," he whispered and I could feel myself melting into a big puddle of goo right there at his feet until…

"_Ahem_" Val cleared her throat loudly and he took a step backwards, his eyes never leaving my face.

"So, I'll expect you home by 11?"

I groaned. "Va_-al._"

"Should I make it 10?"

I rolled my eyes and pulled Seth out the door before Val canceled the date all together.


	6. Chapter 6

**Yes! I finished the chapter! It only took 4 months. Sorry :/ things have been **_**super**_** busy around here. I've been facing some heart trouble and then senior year is kicking. My. Butt. And it's freaking expensive! Like really? $122 for a cap and gown and senior hoodie. Okay. And my homework load is insane! Two research papers, a video, and my graduation project. I hope you realize I put off finishing one of my college applications to write this for you! Now, make a wish! It's 3:33… AM :/**

**Ok, that's enough. Sorry. Again. Here it is, chapter six. Woot woot!**

Jake's car was sitting outside in my driveway. I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Why-" I started, but Seth cut me off. "I don't have a car and we couldn't exactly walk, could we?" He said, smiling down at me. I shook my head and reached for the door handle, but he beat me to it, pulling the door open for me and helping me in. "Thanks," I said, blushing when he squeezed my hand before letting it go and shutting my door.

I tried to calm my nerves by taking a deep breath, but it didn't really work because as soon as Seth slid into the driver's seat, my heart started pounding all over again. He glanced over at me curiously. "Are you ok?" He was just staring at me, making me even more nervous, I clasped my hands in my lap and forced a smile. "Of course," I said, it coming out more of a squeak than actual words. I cleared my throat and tried again. "So, where are we going?"

"It's a secret, and no, it's not Piccola Italia, like everyone has told you." He glanced over at me mischievously, taking the complete opposite direction to Port Angeles. I felt my eyebrows furrow together as he turned into a wooded driveway with twinkling lights woven into the trees. I gazed in wonder at the trees, wondering how the lights got there and just marveling at the beauty of it. We drove in silence for about five minutes as he made his way slowly down the driveway and to a gorgeously lit glass house. "Uhm, where are we?" I ask breathlessly as he stops the car and puts it in park.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," he says, giving me a wicked smile and jumping out of the car. Before my hand even reaches the door handle, he's there, pulling it open and helping me out. I followed him up the porch steps and into the house, which was dimly lit. I could make out stark white furniture elegantly placed about the sitting room, but Seth didn't allow me time to admire the house, but instead pulled me to a formal dining room, where there was a small table set for two. A single red candle was lit in the middle of a stark white table cloth, surrounded by red rose petals. Elegant glasses were set on either side of the table and what looked like a bottle of wine in a chest of ice.

"You do realize I'm not old enough to drink, right?" I whispered. I thought if I talked too loudly, the whole room would shatter to pieces and I'd be left standing alone in the middle of nowhere. "I didn't think it mattered," Seth whispered back, leaning close to my ear. His warm breath brushed across my face and I felt my cheeks heating up. I swallowed thickly as he grabbed my hand and led me to my seat.

A man suddenly appeared. I didn't really pay much attention to him because Seth was staring at me in that weird, kind of creepy, but incredibly sweet way. He pulled the wine out of the ice and poured us both a glass. I took a sip of the wine and realized that it wasn't what I thought. I glanced at the bottle and laughed. "Sparkling grape juice?" I said, between giggles. "Very nice."

Seth beamed at me. "You didn't actually think I was going to give you alcohol did you?"

I shrugged, "Who knows, you're a mystery to me Mr. Clearwater." _A mystery I want to solve._

He quirked an eyebrow. "Is that so? How?"

I shrugged. "Well, you gave me a concussion a couple of days ago, then randomly show up at my place of work and stick around until I accept a date from you, then you start showing up on my lunch break, perfect timing by the way, and sit outside with me and cause me to spit food everywhere. Then, on our date, I walk into a completely romantically set dining room in a house I've never seen. I don't know what to think about you."

"Well, hopefully good things."

_Definitely good things. _I froze when I realized the words had slipped out of my mouth. I cleared my throat and could feel my face turning as red as the rose petals on the table. "I mean… I uhm… ah," I reached for my glass and took a small sip of the juice.

He beamed at me, looking almost proud of himself, but not in the player, I just scored kind of way. No, he looked _happy_ that I said those things.

"Whose house is this anyway?" I blurted, searching through my mind to find something to talk about.

"I thought we already discussed this, if I told-"

"Me, you'd have to kill me, yea I got that." I sighed. "Please?" I tried one last time.

Seth struggled for a second and seemed to be contemplating. "It's a close friend of the family's," he finally admitted.

I shrugged. "Good enough. So, what's for dinner?"

The waiter suddenly appeared next to the table. I tilted my head up at him, finally getting a good look. He was tall and kind of skinny, probably my age, maybe a year or two older. He had blonde, curly hair and was incredibly gorgeous. He held two platters in each hand and gently set them in front of the two of us. "Chicken Parmesan," he said. "Enjoy."

I examined the chicken in front of me, trying to decide if I'd like it or not. A large chicken breast was smothered with some type of red sauce on top of a pile of noodles with a little sprinkle of cheese on top. "Looks good," I said and then leaned down to sniff delicately, "smells good." I paused and smiled up at Seth. "I think I'll try it."

"You don't like Italian?" He asked, digging into his food immediately.

"My family isn't big on Italian food. Spaghetti and Stouffer's lasagna is about as Italian as it gets." I say, picking up my knife and cutting the chicken breast in half, then a small piece off of that piece. I place it in my mouth and count thirty chews before swallowing. It tastes delicious.

"Really? What do you like?" He asks, taking another huge bite of his food. I glance at his plate and my mouth nearly falls into my lap. His plate of Chicken Parmesan is nearly four times the size of mine. There are even two breasts on his heaping pile of pasta.

I snap my mouth shut, ignoring his grin, and shrug. "Chinese, but Mom and I only eat that once in a blue moon. Special occasions mostly. We eat a lot of healthy stuff, tofu, fruits, veggies, all organic."

Seth makes a face and it's my turn to grin ruefully up at him.

"So, you're on a permanent diet," he makes the question more of a statement and I nod.

"Uh, yea. Kind of. More like we made a lifestyle change. 'The moment it becomes a diet is the moment you fail'" I mutter the last part, remembering the quote used by our meeting leader at my first Weight Watchers meeting.

"I see. And how is that lifestyle change holding up in La Push?"

I can't help it, I laugh. I think about the three get-togethers that I'd been to. At Emily's there'd been cakes and pies and other sweet temptations that I wasn't allowed to touch. The next get-together was at Kim's. It was her baby shower and all the girls were there, no guys. I'd liked that one better, but again with the cake and food. The last one I'd gone to was after work one night. It wasn't even planned, Val just wanted to go. So we went. More fatty foods. Nothing I'd eaten in the past week was organic, kosher, or tofu-ized.

"It's a whole different kind of lifestyle change," I say after I've caught my breath. "I mean, have you seen where I work. The only vegetables are the lettuce and tomato on the burgers."

He laughs. "So, you and your mom are health freaks. I'll keep that in mind next time."

Mom. It's been four days since I saw her. Twenty four hours since I last talked to her. Only four days? More like four years. We've never been separated more than two days. This, this is different. I know I won't be seeing her for awhile. It makes it harder to think about. Four days down, a hundred more to go.

"Kat?"

"Hmm?" I realize I've gone silent for too long and smile weakly. "Sorry. Got a little homesick all of a sudden."

His eyebrows furrowed together, creating a crease. "What did I say?"

"Nothing! I'm fine, I just miss my mom and talking about the whole diet food thing kind of brought that back. But I'm ok. It's good to talk about it."

"It's hard, being away from her," he says it as both a question and a statement.

I nod. "Yea. It was just Val, Mom and me for a long time. Then Val left and then it was just me and Mom. She's home all by herself now," I frown as I say this. I can see her, sitting in her favorite spot on the couch, curled up in her favorite red and white blanket watching lifetime. It's what we did when we were depressed.

"I guess I kind of know how that feels. My dad died a few years ago. It was just her, Leah and me for awhile. Leah left last year so it's just me and Mom."

I gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. What was your Dad like?"

He smiled sadly, almost proudly. "The perfect Dad. He loved to fish. He used to try to get me and Leah to go out with him and Charlie, Nessie's grandpa, all the time. Leah hated fishing and she always made this face when he asked. I'd feel bad for him and go, even though I never caught anything and it was way too quiet for my taste."

"That's sweet," I commented.

He shrugged. "So, what's your mom like?"

I rolled my eyes. "A perfectionist. I think she's OCD. She's a publicist and works mainly for small businesses, getting them good advertising and such. She used to be really social until the divorce. Now she has like, one friend. She doesn't date and focuses solely on work and me. It's kind of comforting and sad at the same time."

"So, she used to be like Val is now?"

I chuckled. "Val is much, much worse."

Seth finished his dinner about the same time I finished mine. The waiter, who I finally found out was named Jasper, brought out this completely mouth-watering volcano brownie cake. I thought I was going to drool all over the table. I had exactly four bites. Go me.

Seth devoured the rest. I sort of envied his eat anything and still look all muscle-y and delectable. I wouldn't mind taking a bite out of that.

My eyes widened at the thought. Oops. Oh gosh, now I'm going to be thinking about that the whole ride home. I felt a blush riding on my cheeks and I yanked my glass off the table, successfully sloshing sparkling grape juice all over the white table cloth.

I let out a very unlady like curse under my breath and threw my napkin over the spill. I glanced up at Seth. He looked halfway on the verge of laughter and like he was contemplating helping me or not. I pray he didn't hear me swear, but just my luck, he probably did. "Sorry," I mumble, mopping up the mess, slightly angry that he was laughing.

Jasper suddenly appears. "Don't worry about it ma'am. Nothing that can't be fixed."

We left shortly after and I fidgeted on the drive back to La Push. I couldn't take the silence anymore, though Seth seemed perfectly content.

"Can we turn on the radio or something?" I blurt and then bite my lip at the outburst. "Sorry, I hate silent car rides."

Seth shrugged. "Sure, what's your favorite kind of music?"

I thought it over. "Anything really. I like country the best. And some alternative."

He grimaced. "Country?"

"Don't give me that look. Have you ever actually _listened_ to it?"

He shrugged. "I don't particularly want to."

I rolled my eyes and reached for the radio, flipping through stations until I found a slightly static-y country station. I smiled in triumph. _Country must be country wide._ "Just listen."

I smiled as one of my favorite songs came on: _The Trouble with Girls_ by Scotty McCreery. I swore one day I would marry him.

_The trouble with girls is they're a mystery  
>Something about 'em puzzles me<br>Spent my whole life trying to figure out  
>Just what them girls are all about<em>

_The trouble with girls is they're so dang pretty  
>everything about them does somethin' to me<br>But I guess that's the way it's supposed to be_

Seth quirks an eyebrow at me. I shake my head and motion for him to keep listening.

_They smile that smile  
>they bat those eyes<br>they steal you with hello  
>they kill you with goodbye<em>

_they hook you with one touch  
>and you can't break free<br>Yeah the trouble with girls  
>Is nobody loves trouble much as me<em>

He kind of chuckles and I feel my heart skip a beat, whether its Scotty or Seth, I can't tell, but I'm thinking it's the latter.__

_They're sugar and spice and angel wings  
>Hell on wheels in tight blue jeans<br>A Summer night down by the lake  
>an old memory that you can't shake<br>_

One corner of his mouth quirks in a lopsided grin. He's hooked, I know it.

_They're hard to find yet there's so many of em  
>The way that you hate that you already love em<br>I guess that's the way it's supposed to be_

_They smile that smile  
>They bat those eyes<br>They steal you with hello  
>They kill you with goodbye<em>

_They hook you with one touch  
>And you can't break free<br>Yeah the trouble with girls  
>Is nobody loves trouble much as me<em>

_The way they hold you out on the dance floor  
>The way they ride in the middle of your truck<br>The way they give you a kiss at the front door  
>Leave you wishing you coulda gone up<em>

_And just as you walk away  
>You hear that sweet voice say<br>Stay_

I watch him through the rest of the song, gauging his expression as it ends. Oh yes, he loved it.

We pull into my driveway as the song ends and I know that it was the perfect song to end the night with. He walks me silently to the door. I turn to look up at him. God he's tall. I barely come up to his ribs.

"I had a really great time tonight," ah, the standard end of date line. I swallow and say sincerely, "Thank you."

He smiles down at me. "No, thank you. Tonight was perfect." His hand comes up to cup my cheek. It's ridiculously hot and warms my whole face.

He's leaning down to kiss me. The sky is clear I can see the stars behind his head, the moon shining brightly. His eyes flutter closed. Oh God, he's gonna do it. He's gonna kiss me. On the first date? Oh, what do I do? Do I want him to kiss me? _Yes! _A voice screams in my head. God yes, I want him to kiss me. My eyes slowly drift shut, he's merely centimeters from my lips. My heart is pounding in anticipation.

The screen door slams open, missing my back by an inch. _Val_.

"Hiya guys! How'd the date go?"

I pull away from my Seth and roll my eyes. I swear Seth lets out a growl before he straightens. Like a dog. I send him a confused glance before turning to glare at my not happy for long sister.

"It _was_ going great, wasn't it Seth?" I say through clenched teeth.

"Well, come on inside Kitty Kat, don't want you to catch a cold. It's a little chilly outside."

I restrain from rolling my eyes and begin to follow Val inside. "Bye Se-" I start to call over my shoulder, but am quickly cut off.

He grabs my wrist and pulls me back, quickly pressing his lips to mine. I freeze at the current that zaps through my body when his mouth touches mine. I slowly relax into the warmth of his embrace. It feels so right to be in his arms like this. He pulls away after a few seconds, beaming down at me.

Val clears her throat from inside the house.

"See you tomorrow," Seth says huskily, walking away and leaving me standing stunned on my front porch.

**Aww! Darn Val! He still got his kiss (: How romantic. Where's the Seth in my life? Ugh, whatever.**

**Thanks for reading guys! Make sure you review! I need them! They make my story better!**

**-M**


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